Below, you can find exceptional tours, itineraries and maps for every interest. We can take you towards some
of the highest mountains in the World, to botanical gardens by the sea, to amazing waterfalls and gorges,
to experience winemaking from antiquity and many UNESCO sites of special historical interest:

Golden Fleece Tour

Mountain Tour

Tour of Towering Rock Spires

Georgia is a very ancient land, strongly associated with the dawn of European civilisation and Greek mythology.
Viniculture and Christianity are at the heart of Georgian culture, and you will discover that Georgian people are warm hearted, kind and friendly.

Culture

Georgia is a country with an ancient and unique culture, whose roots stretch back for at least millennia, perhaps slightly isolated by the towering Caucasus
mountains, to the north & south, and the tricky passes between east and west. Indeed, archaeology has shown that viticulture and winemaking originated in the lowland
region of eastern Georgia circa 4,000 BC.

In terms of language, the Georgian spoken & written language is also unique (no known root), although the earliest Georgian
alphabet is relatively modern (430 AD), coinciding with the adoption of Christianity.

Modern day Georgians are largely Christian (with a small Muslim minority), having adopted Christianity in the early 4th century through the preaching of Saint Nino,
a female Saint, traditionally understood to have been related to Saint George. Georgians are generally quite conservative in terms of traditional values, for example
the youngest son has a special status in a Georgian family, and daughters are not really allowed to have boyfriends, only husbands (although this attitude is slowly
changing, especially amongst the more educated younger generation).

Art

Georgia was one of the trading crossroads of the ancient world, but also had a turbulent history of wars and conquests; so many priceless ancient artefacts have
been discovered around former citadels and places of habitation. Indeed, from Greek mythology, the story of the Golden Fleece is based in western Georgia (known as
Colchis, from Roman times).

Several museums in Georgia have many artefacts of Greek origin, or influence, which date from the 800 BC period. Moreover, in the ancient
world, Georgia was not only a source of gold, but the likely origin of exquisite jewellery, with workmanship that rivalled that of the Greeks and Thracians, of the same era.

The main Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia (Georgian National Museum), for example, has over 1.2 million stored artefacts, primarily dating from the third millennium BC. Of
particular note are the 1.8 million year old human skulls, discovered in a cave near Dmanisi (90km south of Tbilisi) and the oldest known human remains outside of Africa.
Also, of particular note are gold & silver jewellery, from various regions of Georgia, which date back as far as 800 BC, much of which are truly stunning.

Sights

One of the most spectacular sights in Georgia, is actually in the heart of Tbilisi, itself. The most prominent landmark for the prime tourist area is the
Statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali. A stone statue of the king on a horse, high up on the walls surrounding the Metekhi Church, and easy to find on Google maps.

From this area, the stunning sheer cliffs of the river Mtkvari will come into view, the cable car up to the Narikhala fortress can be seen and the area is packed
with nice restaurants, bars and Irish pubs etc (in the upstream direction).

Within walking distance (250m in the downstream direction), there are domed red brick structures above the Sulphur Baths, natural hot springs, with a slightly
sulphurous odour. If you then walk away from the river, in front of the Sulphur Baths, you eventually (passing some more nice restaurants) end up in a narrow gorge,
which leads to a spectacular waterfall, at the end. This waterfall flows from the botanical gardens above, which can be reached by retracing your way up the gorge,
taking the spiral stairs to the top of the gorge, and then following the tourist signs for the Botanical Gardens. These sights are less than a kilometre from Tbilisi
Laerton Hotel, but you may prefer to take a guided tour initially, and experience the cable car route, as well.

Cuisine

Khachapuri is probably the most well-known of Georgian cuisine. The best way to describe it is somewhere between a pizza and a bread roll with
roasted cheese on top. Of course, Khachapuri is made with Georgian cheese, and there are several varieties of Khachapuri. The most common is with
a soft thick based pizza type of bread with the cheese inside, or from the Samegrelo region, the cheese is also on top, sometimes with an egg.

Traditional Georgian bread is called Shotis Puri, and is made in a special baking oven. The oven is open topped, and the baker will literally kind
of throw dough at the inside wall of the oven, resulting in a canoe shaped loaf, which is about 75cm long from end to end, and between 2-3cm thick.
Once baked, the baker will peel the bread from the oven wall, and stack it ready for sale. Once cut, the bread can then be prised open, like pitta
bread, and filled to make a kind of sandwich.

Entertainment

In all of the tourist hotspots in Georgia, there are an increasing number of restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs, to cater for the tourist trade.
In Tbilisi, for example, in the prime tourist area near the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali on his horse, there are literally hundreds of restaurants
and bars with everything from a McDonalds, an Irish Pub, Pizzerias and traditional Georgian restaurants. There are also a few café’s where you can smoke
using a hookah.

Many restaurants and bars put on live music, on a nightly basis, throughout the tourist season. In the tourist areas, this typically involves Georgian bands
who predominantly play Western style music, but you can also hear traditional Georgian music, in more Georgian oriented establishments. For those who enjoy
polyphonic singing, you might be fortunate to witness a performance in one of the many Orthodox Churches in central Tbilisi.

Laerton Tours parent company is Tbilisi Laerton Hotel, which by customer review rating (Booking.com)
and guest visits, is one of the top 5 hotels in Tbilisi. In short, you can be assured of good value for money and the organisational backup
of one of the best luxury boutique hotels in Georgia.

Rooms

A key feature of almost all the 34 rooms within Tbilisi Laerton Hotel is a balcony/veranda with panoramic views to the hills
surrounding Tbilisi, as well as over the historic areas of ‘Old Tbilisi’. Quality is evident in every room with natural wood
furniture, embossed wallpaper, high quality bed linen, high quality carpets and a relaxing pastel colour scheme. Moreover, the
rooms are equipped for the maximum comfort of guests, backed up by a full complement of hotel services.
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Dining

The Elioni Veranda is one of two dining areas within Tbilisi Laerton Hotel. It is located on the sixth floor of the hotel
and therefore has stunning views over ‘Old Tbilisi’, the picturesque hills surrounding Tbilisi with their historical fortresses
and churches, as well as views towards the Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is perhaps the most revered and iconic
landmark in Tbilisi. Read More

Events

The Acacia Hall conference room is possibly one of the most pleasant conference rooms in Tbilisi and so called because it
overlooks a row of acacia trees, which are especially nice in late spring and early summer. Moreover, there is a narrow balcony
along the side of the conference room which overlooks the row of acacia trees and then a larger balcony at the end of the
conference room, with some stunning views, where conference participants can relax and enjoy the view during breaks.
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Weddings

On the most special and important day, Tbilisi Laerton Hotel has two of the top venues for wedding receptions in Tbilisi.
Moreover, it is a pleasure for us to welcome weddings guests to one of the most elegant and high-quality hotels in Tbilisi,
helping you to plan and organise everything to perfection, and making sure that the experience exceeds everybody’s expectations.
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